LOCAL RULES

Virginia home inspection report requirements

Your Virginia home inspection report has 12 rules to meet. ReportDraft puts every one on your checklist and checks your draft before you sign.

  • The composition and characteristics of each listed component
  • How the crawl space and the roof covering were inspected
  • A good-working-order determination for each readily accessible smoke alarm
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Home inspectors in Virginia are licensed by the Board for Asbestos, Lead, and Home Inspectors, and the Board's regulation, 18VAC15-40, spells out what every home inspection report must contain: who you are and when your license expires, start and finish times, the weather, how you inspected the crawl space and roof, a determination for each smoke alarm, and a required smoke alarm statement. It also forbids citing building code violations. Here is each rule with a link to the official text, and how field notes become a Virginia report.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026 against the official sources listed below.

Home inspectionVIRGINIA / SAMPLE

Sample notes, 149 words

Client: Dana Whitfield
Inspector: Sam Ortega
Date: October 3, 2026
1408 Larkspur Lane, Richmond, VA
Weather: clear, 74F. Occupied. Built 1987.
...
FREE PREVIEW OF THESE NOTES
57%of your draft is ready from these notes

We sorted 14 items into 8 sections and flagged 4 to fix first.

  • Fix firstElectrical

    Main panel has a double tapped breaker and an open splice in the attic junction box.

  • Fix firstElectrical

    No GFCI protection at the kitchen counter outlets.

  • Fix firstGarage

    Garage door opener did not reverse when it hit the test board.

12 Virginia rules on your checklist, including the composition and characteristics of each listed component.

Still to add

  • Virginia lawVirginia home inspector license number
  • Virginia lawLicense expiration date
  • Virginia lawFinish time

Filled in for you

Client's nameDana Whitfield
Property address1408 Larkspur Lane, Richmond, VA
Inspection dateOct 3, 2026
Home inspector's nameSam Ortega
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What Virginia requires

  • The report gives the licensee's name, address, telephone, email or other contact, and license number with its expiration date, followed by NRS when inspecting a new residential structure18VAC15-40-130 (B) (1), Home inspection report
  • The license expiration date is on the report18VAC15-40-130 (B) (1) (d)
  • The licensee's address is on the report18VAC15-40-130 (B) (1) (b)
  • The report gives the name and contact information of the client or the client's authorized representative, and the physical address inspected18VAC15-40-130 (B) (2), (3)
  • The report gives the date, both the start and finish times of the home inspection, and the weather at the time18VAC15-40-130 (B) (4)
  • The weather at the time of the home inspection is on the report18VAC15-40-130 (B) (4)
  • The report describes in writing the composition and characteristics of the listed components (structure, roof and attic, exterior, interior, plumbing, electrical, heating, air conditioning) and their readily observable defects, except as limited by the contract18VAC15-40-130 (C)
  • The method of inspecting the crawl space and the method of inspecting the roof covering are noted and explained18VAC15-40-130 (C) (1) (d), (2) (a)
  • Any component or system that could not be inspected is identified with an explanation, and systems that were off, winterized or secured are left as found with the reason stated18VAC15-40-130 (D), (E)
  • For each readily accessible smoke alarm the report determines whether it is in good working order (securely attached, not physically damaged, test function successful), and states when an alarm was not readily accessible or describes any limits on that determination18VAC15-40-130 (F) · 18VAC15-40-10, Definitions ("good working order")
  • The report includes the substance of the regulation's smoke alarm statement: alarms on each level and in every sleeping area, replace alarms not in good working order, a test reflects only the time of inspection and is no guarantee, and follow the manufacturer's instructions18VAC15-40-130 (F) (3)
  • If yellow corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST) is seen in a home built before May 1, 2008, the report includes that observation and the statute's bonding and grounding statement word for wordCode of Virginia s. 54.1-517.2:1 · 18VAC15-40-130 (G)
  • A home inspection report may not cite, state or represent that a violation of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code exists18VAC15-40-155 (10) (d), Prohibited acts
  • The inspector may not advise the client whether to engage in the real estate transaction or give an opinion of the property's value18VAC15-40-155 (10) (e)
  • Before work begins or payment is accepted, the client and the licensee sign a written contract stating the terms, the areas and systems to be inspected, the cost, the exclusions, and that the inspection is not a review for code compliance; the client gets a fully signed copy18VAC15-40-120, Home inspection contract
  • The licensee may not design or perform repairs on a home they inspected within 12 months after the inspection, inspect under an agreement where pay or referrals depend on the findings or the sale, or disclose the results without the client's approval except where life or health is in imminent danger18VAC15-40-140, Conflict of interest
  • The licensee keeps all records of each home inspection, including the written report and supporting documentation, for three years from the inspection date18VAC15-40-160 (C)

What goes at the top of a Virginia report

The report gives your name, address, telephone, email or other contact, and your license number with its expiration date, followed by NRS when the inspection is of a new residential structure. It names the client or the client's authorized representative with their contact information, and the physical address inspected.

It also records the date, both the start and the finish times of the inspection, and the weather at the time.

What the report must describe

For the structure, roof and attic, exterior, interior, plumbing, electrical, heating and air conditioning components the regulation lists, the report describes in writing their composition and characteristics and their readily observable defects, except as the contract limits.

Two methods must be noted and explained: how you inspected the crawl space, and how you inspected the roof covering. Anything you could not inspect is identified with an explanation, and systems that were off, winterized or secured are not put into operation; the report states the reason.

Smoke alarms and CSST

For each readily accessible smoke alarm, the report determines whether it is in good working order: securely attached, not physically damaged, and the test function works. Where an alarm is not readily accessible, or its test could alert a fire department through a monitored system, the report says so. Every report includes the substance of the regulation's smoke alarm statement, and ReportDraft prints it at the end of each Virginia report.

If you see any shade of yellow corrugated stainless steel tubing in a home built before May 1, 2008, the report includes that observation and the statute's statement on bonding and grounding, word for word.

What a Virginia report must not say

A report may not cite, state or represent that a violation of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code exists. Describe the condition, why it matters and who should evaluate it instead. You also may not advise the client whether to buy, or give an opinion of the property's value.

ReportDraft's completeness list flags wording such as "code violation" or "not to code" before you sign.

Contract, conflicts and records

Before work begins or payment is accepted, you and the client sign a written contract listing the areas and systems to be inspected, the cost, the exclusions, and a statement that the inspection is not a review for code compliance, and the client gets a fully signed copy.

You may not design or perform repairs on a home within 12 months after inspecting it, or inspect where pay or referrals depend on the findings or the sale. Results stay confidential without the client's approval, except where life or health is in imminent danger. Keep the report and supporting documentation for three years.

From field notes to a finished Virginia report

Note the start and finish times, the weather, how you got onto the roof and into the crawl space, and the result of each smoke alarm test. ReportDraft fills your license, address and contact details from your account, writes each component up with its composition and any defects, keeps code language out, adds the CSST statement when your notes mention yellow CSST in an older home, and prints the smoke alarm statement at the end.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving off the finish time or the license expiration date.
  • Writing that something "violates code" or is "not up to code".
  • Not saying how the roof covering and the crawl space were inspected.
  • Testing smoke alarms without recording whether each is in good working order, or leaving out the smoke alarm statement.
  • Missing the CSST statement when yellow CSST is seen in a home built before May 1, 2008.

Sources

Last reviewed October 10, 2026. Next review due January 10, 2027. This page explains published rules to help you write your report. It is not legal advice; the official text linked above governs.